Dr. Maroon received an athletic scholarship to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where as an undergraduate, he was named a Scholastic All-American in football. Dr. Maroon has successfully maintained his personal athletic interests through participation in 9 marathons and more than 72 Olympic-distance triathlon events. However, his greatest athletic accomplishment is his participation in 8 Ironman triathlons (Hawaii – 1993, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013; Canada – 1995; New Zealand – 1997; Germany – 2000), where he usually finishes in the top 10 of his age group. Recently, in July 2012 and 2013, he finished second and third, respectively, in his age group in the Muncie, Indiana half Ironman triathlon. In October 2013 he completed his 5th World Championship Ironman in Kona, Hawaii.Dr Joseph Maroon Keynote Speaker at PA Neurosurgical Society Meeting
July 16 2026 – Pennsylvania Neurosurgical Society Meeting, Hershey, PA. Dr. Joseph Maroon was the keynote speaker for the 113th annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Neurosurgical Society in Hershey, PA. on July 17th, 2026. Dr. Maroon spoke on “Creativity and Artificial Intelligence in Neurosurgery”.
He summarized his work involving three main areas of research he is working on:
- Cryoimmunotherapy in the treatment of cancer
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of stroke, traumatic brain injury and enhanced recovery and performance in sports
- Use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) as a non-invasive method to identify a deficiency of glutathione in the brain associate with Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s diseases (PD)
Cryoimmunotherapy in the treatment of cancer combines extreme cold (cryoablation) to freeze and destroy local tumor tissue with immunotherapy drugs. Freezing the tumor cracks open cancer cells. This releases tumor antigens into the body, which primes the immune system to hunt down and attack cancer cells elsewhere, including distant metastases.
SYNC-T, a novel, minimally invasive immunotherapeutic approach to treat metastatic solid tumors. Dr Maroon reported on human research done by Syncromune, a company he has been affiliated with for a number of years, that currently focuses on the treatment of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (as well as other cancers). The unique technology uses Cryo-Immune Vaccination (CIV). CIV involves several treatment cycles comprised of (1) cryo-lysis of a single lesion in a metastatic subject, to generate a self made (personalized) vaccine at each cycle, plus (2) followed by an infusion of the cryo-lysed lesions with a low-dose cocktail of multiple immunotherapeutic drugs.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of stroke, traumatic brain injury and enhanced recovery and performance in sports. Dr. Joseph Maroon discusses the importance of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Post-concussion syndrome (PCS). With over 50 years of experience in sports medicine and helping those those with traumatic brain injury and concussion, Dr. Maroon now believes HBOT is a new tool with significant benefits for veterans, athletes or for anyone who has suffered from brain trauma. Dr. Joseph Maroon, along with Israeli researchers, Amir Hadanny and Shai Efrati, have published an article in the Medical Research Archives, entitled, The Efficacy of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: Literature Review and Clinical Guidelines. The review article reviews over 50 years of evidence of the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for patients with both acute and chronic traumatic brain injury. In addition, providing improved understanding of the uses of HBOT and the profiles of the patients who can benefit the most.
Use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) as a non-invasive method to identify a deficiency of glutathione in the brain associate with Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s diseases (PD). Dr. Maroon also discussed the ongoing clinical trials with Dr. Pravat Mandal, Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology at UPMC. With a grant from the Chuck Noll Foundation, they are currently enrolling former NFL and NHL players, Navy SEALs and combat warriors who have experienced multiple traumatic hits to the head. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) they are able, non-invasively, to identify a deficiency of glutathione in the brain, the primary antioxidant . They have previously shown this deficiency to be the case in Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s diseases (PD). This deficiency results in oxidative stress, a common factor in AD, PD, and post traumatic brain injury. They then administer a precursor of glutathione similar to treating Parkinson’s Disease with L-Dopa, a precursor to dopamine that crosses the blood brain barrier.